Indian Army to Train 600 Civil Defence Master Trainers

India is building what the Union Home Ministry calls a vibrant Civil Defence Network, and the first step is a joint training programme with the Indian Army. The Directorate General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards (DGFSCDHG) of the Ministry of Home Affairs will run a three-day specialised course for Civil Defence Master Trainers at designated Army training establishments. The Ministry describes the tie-up as a first-of-its-kind pilot.

The numbers to remember

In the first phase, 600 Master Trainers are to be trained by the second week of November 2026, with 50 drawn from each participating State or Union Territory. Twelve States and UTs take part: Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Meghalaya, Sikkim, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

A multiplier effect

The design rests on a structured Master Trainer model. After finishing the Army course, every Master Trainer is to train 100 Civil Defence Volunteers in their own State or UT. Cascaded this way, the pilot can carry specialised preparedness skills to 60,000 volunteers across the twelve participating States and UTs, which is what the Ministry means by a multiplier effect.

What the course covers

• Threat Awareness: hybrid and modern warfare, the drone threat, and air raids.
• Protection and Emergency Response: keeping critical infrastructure safe, fire safety, awareness of Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) hazards, management of casualties, and rescue and search work.
• Communication and Coordination: communication during an emergency, cyber hygiene and digital resilience, coordination between civil and military agencies, and incident command.

Where the idea came from

The Prime Minister set out the vision of a vibrant Civil Defence network in his address to the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on 15 August 2026, saying it should be equipped with modern systems, technologies and contemporary preparedness capabilities to meet emerging security challenges. The present initiative carries that announcement into execution.

Why it matters

By putting the Army's operational expertise behind a civilian volunteer network, the scheme is meant to strengthen civil-military coordination and institutional preparedness for hostile situations, emergencies and attacks on critical infrastructure. Depending on how the pilot turns out, the Ministry plans to extend the training to the remaining States and Union Territories in a phased manner.